Replacements
by LuminaChan
Summary: What if Sora never found the keyblade? What if he was just some confused fifteen year old going to high school with parents who hate him? SXR, LXC, selfdestructive behavior, attempted suicide


Lumina- I APOLOGIZE for the delay in Fullmetal Alchemist fanfics. My family just moved so my ability to use the computer was lost, and over the past months I've either been replying to emails via a friends computer, or using a library one. I find there is, for some reason, limited access to on the library's computer. Since then... Well, I've had an obsession with Kingdom Hearts, seen every bit of detail in both games, and now I'm trying out a Kingdom Hearts fanfic. Sorry Fullmetal Alchemist lovers. I promise both stories will be updated within the next week or so. I promise! Until then, please enjoy my Kingdom Hearts fic!

Disclaimer- I don't own any characters mentioned in this fictional work of art (Is it?) Unless I say so.

Chapter One- Hardships

It was only four in the morning; an early time to already be awake on a school day, but it was also the very best. Outside it was still pitch black. The moon wasn't even up.

Sora snuck over to the bathroom quietly. Both of his parents were still asleep in their bed, unaware of the heresis their son dared to commit. They didn't need to know anyway; couldn't possibly imagine what their perfect little boy did in his free time within the confinements of that small room. And, to be honest, Sora was happy they couldn't.

What he did when he took that ever-so-sharp razor blade out of the cabinet and examined it with wrongful intent was his own business and not his parents'. What would they say anyway?

"Oh, uh, yeah. He's still got good grades, so as long as he has that, he has as many privileges as he wants."

Stupid step-father. _Cutting yourself_ is **not **a _privilege_, it's an **_addiction_**. It was indeed addicting. There was no possible way he could ever hide every scar that seemed to grace his left wrist, and he wasn't about to try.

He hoped the new school would accept him, but he also wanted them to raise his sleeve and see him for what he really was: A **freak**.

A new school. Lots of new students who would probably want to abuse and mistreat him, gawk at his clothes and expression on his face that said, 'God, please kill me now.'

_Cut._

The thought was so sickening. People judging you simply on looks alone and not personality wise.

_Cut._

_Drip... Drip..._

"Damnit, not the rug..." The small drops of a crimson substance had missed the tile part of the floor entirely and landed on the fluffy yellow object that was to be called a rug, or a carpet. It was his mother's favorite in the house.

Immediately he grabbed a washrag from the cabinet and wet it, dropped to the floor and began to scrub away at the soon to be stain. He couldn't let his mother catch on to his violent addiction. While his step-father maybe very well have decided to ignore it if given the oppurtunity to first _witness_ it, his mother would break into a fit of tears and wonder why her precious 'baby' would do such a thing when he had such a **great** life.

Well, if that question was asked, Sora had only two things to answer with. A.) His life wasn't that great, and B.) He was worthless anyway.

Of course, his mother would deny both things. It would be pointless to protest, pointless to even try. That dumb bitch always came up with some reason to call him ungrateful. The 'step-father' didn't make things any more bearable. He always took the mother's side, casting his adopted son into darkness, probably wishing he'd leave them both alone for good.

At least Sora's rage was going somewhere.

The carpet looked good as new, just fine in his opinion. If his mother were to step in, she would never know that anything had even been there, and Sora would be free to continue his little 'ritual' for as long as his body could stand; for as much blood as he had.

Now that _that_ was over and done with, he was free to pick up the blade again, and have another go; or two, or three, or as many as he liked. There was no limit... Well at least he _hoped_ there was no limit.

A sudden knock on the door almost made him dig in a little too deep, but he stopped himself. "What?"

"Sora, what **are** you doing in there?"

Stupid bitch. A person couldn't use the bathroom without her wondering whether or not they were dying or just trying to do casual, normal things. Sora imagined she, like his step-father, probably wished he was dying.

_Good. If you want me dead I'd be more than happy to oblige._

"Are you okay?" He recognized the hint of worry in her voice. Why, though?

"Yeah, I'll be out in a few minutes mom." _Thanks for noticing I've been gone... You don't do **that** very often._

"Alright, honey. Just tell me if you need anything." Her voice disappeared. Need anything? Oh please; what could he possibly _need_ from her? An apology for marrying that jerk after his real father had died? To talk? A hug?

He needed all of these things, not that he would admit it.

Best now to clean up, he thought to himself as he took a piece of toilet paper and wrapped it around his bleeding wrist. It wasn't the best, or the most absorbant thing ever, but it was something that could be flushed down the toilet, or entirely gotten rid of, as Sora thought of it. Dear sweet Mommy would never have to know the truth. Her son was a failure.

---

"Come on, Sora, I have to get to work."

_That's just your average, lame, pathetic-ass excuse to take me to a new school a half an hour before the warning bell even rings. Thanks a lot, Mom._

His mother called to him, and Sora angrily grabbed a few pencils, a binder, and a history book and exited through the door. It was a first day of school. What more could you possibly need on the first day?

"It's not my fault Jake doesn't make enough money to support us. If he were like Dad you never would have had to even _look_ for another job." Her head turned to her son, angry and irritated at the attitude he was getting. It had only been since she'd met Jake, but she wasn't going to change her life, her future, just for her son. Sora was fifteen, almost sixteen in one month, and he would be out of the house as soon as he hit eighteen. At least that's what she had planned.

"Sora, listen, I..."

"Just take me to school. It's fine." She gave him that look. "Really Mom, I know you're doing your best and the job is important to you, I'm _sorry_ I can't make it more enjoyable." The way he said sorry just wasn't convincing, but she tried to believe him.

"Alright..."

That first ride to that new school seemed really long, really dull, and really boring. Sora couldn't decide which was worse: Staying at home with what was supposed to be his family or going to this foreign place where people would probably hate him.

He'd make sure to give them a full treatment of his shitty-ass attitude once he got there. He hadn't shirked off on the clothes, either.

Baggy black pants, baggy black T-Shirt with a baggy black sweatshirt over it, black Tennis shoes, wrist bands, enough chains to strangle any dumb kids with, and that mean look he always had. Every. Single. Day.

Finally, the car came to an abrupt stop in front of a large building. "It looks alright, dear..."

_It looks awful. Good God Mom, are you so blind that you can't even tell this place is a shithold compared to my old school? You are such a bitch..._

"Yeah, I guess," He lied. He wasn't sure whether his Mom bought it or not, but she drove off anyway, leaving him to walk up to the front doors, alone.

---

All this school brought was problems. Problems from the first minute he even walked in. Problems from a brunette girl and problems from a blond guy with a beanie on who stood with about fifteen million other people (Or just four or five).

"Who's this faggot?" Brunette.

"I dunno. Looks like some weirdo who made it out of the mosh pit in one piece." Blond.

"Yeah he does... I've never seen him. Is he new?" Brunette.

"Looks that way." Blond.

_Why do they act like I can't **fucking** hear them?_ It was annoying, having people talk about you where you could hear every word they were saying, every crack they made about you.

"Hey, emo kid!" Emo kid? Well at least they noticed him. "What are you? Some kind of **freak**?" Blond.

Oh, perfect. They already knew!

Sora flipped them off before heading down the hallway he thought his locker might be in. Thought was a very powerful word. Hoped was another one. And yet another word is 'lucky', and lucky was what he was when his locker was indeed down there.

And now for the combination.

12-20-18.

He pulled.

It didn't open.

12-20-18.

He tried again and pulled.

Still didn't open.

_Well, it **is** possible to get things wrong twice I guess..._

12-20-18.

He yanked.

It still didn't open.

Why wasn't this working?

"Hey..." Sora jumped. He figured it would be another student, probably calling him more shit, so he was ready to punch when he turned around. All he saw was a redish-haired girl about his height and age. Go figure. "This is uhm... Supposed to be my locker. Or is my sheet wrong? Locker number 83..."

Sora looked at his sheet. Locker number 84... Oops.

"Oh.. Sorry I think mine's this one actually..." He replied, hopping to the locker to the right of the one he'd been trying to jar open for the past five minutes. "Sorry..."

"That's okay," She said, opening her locker much quicker than he'd been able to. "Everyone makes mistakes." She smiled. She was so... Friendly compared to everyone else.

"I guess..." Without even bothering to open his locker, Sora walked away, blushing. A girl had actually spoken to him. Amazing.

It wasn't that this wasn't normal, it was just that only guys ever seemed to come onto him. Even that didn't really matter.

But that girl... He'd be pleased to be friends with her, even if his sexual interest didn't lean towards the female route. Not at all.

---

"Hey kid, get outta the middle of the hallway!"

Cold, helpless, new, alone, and afraid... Not that he would admit it, or anything...

"Honestly, you wanna get trampled?"

He didn't, but was it really his fault that some jerk (that same blond with the beanie from before) he hadn't yet had the gracious honor of being introduced to or asking the name of had shoved the brunette to the ground with a bloody nose and broken hopes of fitting in at this new school?

Sora honestly wished he could have taken the advice of countless students moving down t he hallway. However, he was having some real trouble willing himself to get up; his legs simply didn't wish to move. He was hoping, or at least had been hoping earlier that he would make fast friends with at least a few people here, particularly, that redish-haired girl... But these dreams were going to be ruined, probably by someone stepping on him and crushing his skull in.

Why did he have to go to this dumb new school anyway? He couldn't remember...

Oh yeah, because _Jake_ had been deported from his old job to one that paid a lot less, and they couldn't afford to send the only child to a normal school anymore.

He didn't fit in here. This place was like a fucking zoo. Kids jumping all over each other; not in a good way either, people bashing in other people's faces for the most bizarre reasons Sora'd ever heard of, everyone throwing food, bullying younger children, picking on the new kid... It was crazy. Where were the teachers? Where was the principal? Why was... That guy staring at him?

Oh well. Didn't matter. There wasn't anything the poor little emo (Is that what they'd called him?) kid could do about it anyway. So now this other freak was walking towards him.

Sora could make out some of the obnoxiously weird things with the way this guy looked. First and foremost, was the silverish hair. Was that dyed? Was that natural? That couldn't possibly be natural. Definately not. No way in hell. The eyes were another factor. Sea green? How often do you see that? Contact lenses? What a weirdo.

Not normal.

But his clothes were at least _somewhat_ similar to Sora's. That was a plus.

"Hey..."

A hand reached down, grabbed him by the shoulder, tugged him upwards by the sleeve and pulled him to his feet.

Another observation: This guy was quick. Quick enough that Sora didn't even see Mr. Strange yet intriguing looking walk all the way over to him and gather both he and his books off the ground. Amazing.

"Do I know you?" Sora knew he sounded rude, and he also knew he wasn't familiar with anyone at this school. _Stupid question._

"I don't know, do you?" _Stupid answer._

He had to make up for lost ground. This guy was mouthy. He had a wild look to him that suggested, or rather, shouted out, nonconformist. So he held out his hand, praying this new... Acquaintance would take it.

"Name's Sora..." He did.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Riku."

Someone noticed **and** respected him. Sora was thrilled to death. Not really, but he was at least feeling some form of happiness and gratitude. At least now he didn't have to sit around in the hallway, ten minutes before his first hour class, with an expression that clearly read, 'Pity me, I'm new and I'm... Emo? Is that it? Is that what you people called me?'

_What the hell is an emo..._

"You must be new here." Ooh, good observation, dumbass.

"Yeah. You just noticed?" Riku looked a little offended. Sora looked a little pissed about the awkward situation he'd been put in. Both were going to try and talk things out anyway.

"I don't know everyone in this school. You're kind of short, so it's easy to confuse you with a freshman... You're not one, are you?"

"No, I'm a sophomore..."

"Must be genetics then." What the hell was this kid talking about? Sora wasn't short at all! This guy must have been the offspring of giants or something if **that** was the case. Nobody else in the school looked **that fucking tall** anyway. Still...

This was not a time for Sora to be passing up making a friend, so he agreed... For the time being.

"I guess... Why are you talking to me?" Awkward. Didn't exactly scream 'most friendly guy in the world,' now did he?

"You uh... Looked like you could use the company."

"So I looked helpless?" Well that's great. That was the last thing he needed, to look vulnerable in this new school where these students acted like animals and picked apart the people who didn't fit in.

"Not necessarily, but you were certainly on the verge of it."

The bell couldn't have chosen a worse time to ring, but ring it did, beckoning everyone to their classrooms where they would all surely die of boredom and grow old and gray before they truely learned anything worth knowing. Sora was no exception. He doubted Riku was either.

Though he knew he should probably get to class, there was just one thing wrong. Sora didn't know where and the hell the room was. His schedule wasn't on his pile of books that had somehow magically ended up in his hands, and that was where it was **supposed** to be.

Oh yeah.

"Riku, can I see my..."

"Already got it covered," He replied, slapping the all-knowing piece of paper on top of Sora's binder. "I think you should come with me." The tone of voice didn't sound good, but it didn't sound threatening either.

"To... Where, exactly?"

"Office."

"Why?"

"You're new here, so I figure they'd let me change my classes as a way of showing you around. You know, as a _personal guide_.

Fun.

"...Kay?"

Riku walked. He followed him.

_To certain doom?_

Lumina- Long chapter! I've had so much free time and I'm such a slacker! I'm so sorry about the FMA story! It will be up PRONTO! I like reviews... (Puppy dog eyes.) Oh yes I sense lots of RikuxSora scenes coming. (Evil smirk.)


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